Chapter 2

      Zephyr's real name in the real world is Michael.  He is an average Midwestern American senior in high school.  He is well built just over 6 feet, with baby blue eyes and sandy brown hair.  Michael is a varsity football player with superior IQ.  He is preparing to decide on what college to go to in the fall.  There is a stack of acceptances letters sitting next to him on his computer table.  Michael doesn't know what to make of the beautiful Emerald.
` He hears his mom yelling to him to make sure his work is done before heading to bed.  He can also hear is older brother’s stereo playing loud enough to vibrate the walls.  Michael shakes his head as he logs off the computer and starts getting ready for bed.

      Michael kicks his shoes off and yells, "turn that off I got to get some sleep."

     In reply as he hears the stereo become quieter and his brother yelling, "ok brainyack." Michael readies for bed then, plops down on his bed and takes another look at the computer on his table. Smiling to himself, as he slides under the covers.  He closes his eyes and in no time is fast asleep.

     The room is a moderately large room with a mirrored sliding door closet on one side and a pair of siding windows with a twin bed between them on the adjoining wall.  On the wall above the bed is a poster of white Boss Mustang.  On the wall next to the bed is his computer table made of PVC pipe and a maple cutting board for a top. Next to the computer table is a small metal filing cabinet with a printer and scanner on top.  Along the length of the wall is three long wooden shelves, the top shelf has his trophies and model cars the second has a variety of books and the bottom shelve has computer manuals and software books.

     Michael wakes with a start as he feels his bed get bumped by his older brother David's foot.  "Hey Brainyack, if you want a ride you better get your butt in gear," David chides.  Rubbing his eyes, Michael glares at his brother and slowly climbs out of bed and heads to the bathroom to get ready for school.  Comes back into the bedroom fully dressed and grabs his books.

     Meeting his brother at the car, Michael gets in and starts to think about the girl he had meet last night.  The drive is a relatively short one to the high school he attends.

     The school is a modern single level building with a sign on the front lawn stating Mid America High School, number one in the county varsity football team.  There is a group of kids by the front door and several smaller groups on the lawn. It is kind of noisy as the cars drive in and out of the parking lot letting teenagers off and driving out.

      Michael heads for the main entrance stopping to say hi to a few friends along the way.  He enters the building and heads straight for his locker where he is greeted by two of his best friends.  Will and Sam are like Mutt and Jeff.  Will is tall and wiry, quick wit.  Sam is short and chunky not fat but solid, he plays fullback on the football the team with Michael.  He isn't nearly as bright as Will.  Will often tells Sam that he is dim because of all the brain mashing he has taken playing football.

      Opening his locker Michael throws his books into it, keeping out just the books and things, he needs for his morning classes.  He looks at his two friends and chuckles, "I meet this girl last night on the net.  I don't know what it is about her but I seem to want to get to know her better."  Will laughs teasingly, "yeah, and I know how you would like to know her too."
Sam looks at Will slightly confused and says, "how do you know?  Did you meet her too?"

     Will laughs, "no stupid but I know what part of her I would like to know better."  Michael gives Will a look of disapproval as he starts down the hall toward his first class.

     By lunchtime Michael had put Emerald in the back of his mind and had started concentrating on his schoolwork.  Michael walks into the cafeteria seeing Will and Sam already at the table.  "Hi guys," Michael calls.  Sam smiles and waves at Michael almost knocking his soda can over.
Will laughs, "good move bowel," grabbing the soda can before it falls over.
Sam looks down with a confused look not realizing what he almost did, then chuckles, "yeah, sorry about that."

     Michael strolls over to the table and sets his books down.  "I'll be right back," Michael informs his two friends.

      Heading to the far end of the lunchroom to get his lunch, he is waylaid by his ex girlfriend Letitia.  "Michael!" she exclaims, seizes his arm if he much bigger than she, she would have spun him around.

     Irritated at seeing her he exclaims, "What?"  Letitia a small fiery red head totally opposite from Michael's quiet soft spoken personality. She is a cheerleader for the high school football team.  She stands in the isle way blocking him from getting to the food table.  Letitia crosses her arm and waits.

     Glancing at her, then at the food table sighs, "what do you want . . . we are through you told me yourself . . . fine . . . we are through."
Angrily she says, "God! I can't believe you . . . where is it . . . you told me you would have it for me today . . . now I need it for English this afternoon."
Flustered he thinks what is she talking about.  Suddenly remembering, he had told her he would write a paper for her for her English Lit. Class gives her a evil grin, "you should have thought of that before you broke up with me?"

     Opening her mouth with surprise at the audacity at his attitude she spits back, "I can't believe you of all people would be so petty just because I broke up with you doesn't give you the right to lower my grade point average."

     Michael laughs sarcastically, "lower you grade point average?  Me! Christ . . . you put me through hell I almost got kick from the team because of you and  . . . forget it.  You just better get that smart little ass in gear and do it yourself.  Better yet, have your new boyfriend do it for you," knowing her new boyfriend had the IQ of a marshmallow.  Picking her up and setting her out of the way he smiles and says, “if you will excuse me I'm hungry."

     Eyes wide astonished that he would dare say and do that to her of all people and angry she stumps her foot and yells at him as he walks away, "you are a real ass for doing this.  I'm glad I dumped you!"
A small crowd had gathered around them as her voice brought attention to the two quarreling teens.  The Crowd laughs and a few teachers just shake their heads at the last volley of rhetorical remarks.

      Retrieving his what is sarcastically described as lunch ( gray hamburger, string beans leaking onto the hamburger bun and some sliced peaches), Michael starts back for his friends.  Setting the tray on the table he looks at is lunch and sits down hard into the chair.  Will says in a light snicker, "lovers quarrels?"

      Michael sneers, "No, watch it, I'm not in the mood for it right now."  Sam sinks down into his chair knowing how Michael felt towards Letitia.

      Just as Michael was about to take a bite of his burger, he feels something shove his chair hard into the table.  Michael looks up and sees the expression on Sam and Will’s face.  Sam about to get up to come to Michael's aid, Michael looks cautiously over his shoulder seeing a wall of human flesh called Bruno.  "HEY! Punk, Letitia said you are messing with her,"

     Bruno sneers. Turning around in the chair, Michael smiles at the hulking mass of muscles and replies, "Me? I'm not messing with her, she told me that she wanted me to finish her paper and I just suggested that you should help her with it . . . the togetherness thing."

     Thinking, then rubbing his hair back away from his Goliath face, shakes his head, Bruno mutters, "oh . . . hmm . . . really?" Ruffles Michael's hair as sort of a superiority thing, then walks away.

     Will's mouth drops open as Sam Hi fives Michael laughing, "Damn you're good, I thought you were going to be hamburger for sure."  Michael just smiles.

     The rest of the day was uneventful till it was time to leave for home.
Letitia stops Michael before gets to the bus.  Smiling sweetly at him then kicks him in the shin.  Michael yelps, "Hey!"

      Letitia exclaims, "that is for getting me a F on the paper and getting Bruno mad at me."  Michael rubs his shin and smiles at her.  Standing up then gets on the buss without saying a word to her.  Silently thinking the kick was worth it.  She had deserved what she got for how she had used him.

      Walking into the house from the bus stop, Michael finds a note from his mother;   “Mike, Gone to grandmas.  Won't be home till late.  Dad is picking pizza up on his way home from work.  Love Mom.”

      Smiles to himself thinking about having the house to himself for several hours.  Michael goes to the refrigerator and gets a apple and a Coke.  Leaves the kitchen and heads back for his bedroom.

      There is a note posted on his bedroom door.   He pulls it off the door. Reading it he see it is another notes form his mom saying, “Letitia called this morning.”

      Michael crumples the note and tosses it into the wastebasket.  Dropping his books onto his bed he switches the computer on.  While waiting for it to fully come up he changes from his school clothes.

      Sitting in the chair in front of the computer screen he clicks on the Internet dial up.  Listening to the familiar sound of the modem beeping and plunking.  He starts to think again about the beautiful gray elf he had met the night before.